Listen to Kid Cudi’s ‘Hunger Games’ Song ‘The Ruler & the Killer’

‘The Hunger Games’ soundtrack is proving to be a simultaneously sinister and beautiful affair. The latest cut from the epic film’s score is ‘The Ruler & the Killer’ from Kid Cudi.

Backed by eerie, powerful drums and distortion, Kid Cudi ruminates on the themes and plot lines of the film: survival, even if it means rebelling against your leaders and maybe watching your friends die. ‘Lonely Stoner,’ this ain’t.

Cudi narrates from the point of view of leaders of the Capitol, who, in the film and books, use a lottery to choose children to fight to the death for the entertainment and horror of the masses. The government in ‘The Hunger Games’ dystopian Panem is ‘The Ruler & the Killer’: “Keep your mind on the mission / Remember you belong to me / Come on, we should get it going / What I want is specific / You putting on a show for me / The ruler and the killer baby / You don’t talk / You don’t say nothing / Ok?”

While Taylor Swift also took a literal look at the literature for her latest contribution to the soundtrack, ‘Eyes Open,’ the forever good girl took the point of view of the protagonists. Cudi took a deeper and much darker look into the sociopathic nature of Panem’s rulers (and killers), even at times yelling and inserting maniacal yelps into the song. Cudi raps, “Please pay attention / You know you all belong to me / Come on, we should get it going / Survival of the fittest, hey hey.”

While you can easily associate Swift’s lyrics with the love story subplots in the movie, Cudi’s track is what you hear when you picture kids actually fighting to the death. Adding to the creepy feel? The gongs at the song’s end. This is a true soundtrack for a villain!